Red Like Roses Fills My Dreams and Brings Me to the Place You Rest
by ZexionLover411
Summary: There were six wizards in Middle Earth, technically five since the sixth was a witch. Bellatrix the Red, one of the last of her kind, with one very noticeable thing that makes her unique to the other five. She's changed since Gandalf last met her, though for better or worse? Will she help or hinder the Company's journey and can she perhaps save Thorin from himself?
1. Prologue

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings that's all Peter Jackson and J.R.R. Tolkien. I do however own anything added and my OC. _**

**Summary: There were six wizards in Middle Earth, technically five since the sixth is a witch. Bellatrix the Red, one of the last of her kind, with one very noticeable thing that makes her unique to the other five. She's changed since Gandalf last met her, though for better or worse? Will she help or hinder the Company's journey and can she perhaps save Thorin from himself?**

**Look at A/N at bottom for description.  
**

**Title is lyric from RWBY Red Trailer by Jeff Williams  
**

* * *

Thorin's Company rode their ponies through a muddy forest as it rained. They all looked cold, wet, and miserable.

"Here, Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" Dori asked.

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done." Gandalf replied. "If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard."

"Are there any?" Bilbo asked.

"What?"

"Other wizards?"

"There are six of us… well five really… The greatest of our order is Saruman, the White. Then there are the two Blue Wizards; you know, I've quite forgotten their names."

"And who is the fifth?"

"Well, that would be Radagast, the Brown."

"Is he a great Wizard or is he...more like you?" Bilbo asked. Gandalf looked slightly offended.

"I think he's a very great wizard, in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always Evil will look to find a foothold in this world."

"You said there were six." Kili said. "Who was the sixth? What happened to him?"

"Nothing happened." Gandalf said.

"Well who is he then?" Gloin asked.

"… Bellatrix the Red." Gandalf said.

"Bellatrix?" Kili asked.

"Sounds like a woman's name." Dwalin said.

"That is because Bellatrix is a woman, master dwarf. She's a witch."

"There are witches?" Bilbo asked with his eyebrows raised.

"Just her." Gandalf said shaking his head.

"Well, tell us about 'er." Fili said.

"What's she like?" Kili asked. "Is she great too, powerful?" Gandalf hesitated.

"In her own way." He said. "I've only met her one time, long ago" He let out a sigh. "Before…" He said quietly.

"Before what?" Bilbo asked. Gandalf cleared his throat.

"Best not get into that now, Master Baggins." Gandalf said. "I doubt we'll be running into her anytime soon."

* * *

There was a flash of red through the trees. It sped past rocks and fallen branches, fallen leafs were kicked up in its wake. The red blur made a sharp turn, claws scratching in the dirt before kicking off. Soon it reached a wide cliff; it ran up the rocks and morphed as it reached the edge, standing on two feet. There stood a woman, though she didn't appear to be. Naked as the day she was born with large red feline ears, matching fur and tail adorned her body. She sniffed the air, her nose twitched before it scrunched up in disgust. Large yellow eyes with black slits opened and darted across the area below. Pale lips cracked into a fanged smile.

* * *

**So I watched Cats recently (Yeah the musical) and I love the way Bombalurina looks so that's what Bellatrix looks like.I'm going to make a cover for this if I can find a good picture of her.  
**


	2. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings that's all Peter Jackson and J.R.R. Tolkien. I do however own anything added and my OC. _**

**I'm actually surprised by how many favorites and follows I already have for this story. Thank you ^_^ I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I have the next four or so planned out already I just have to type them up. **

* * *

Three trolls had tied several dwarves (Dwalin, Bofur, Dori, Ori and Nori) onto a spit and were roasting them over a fire; the rest (Thorin, Kili, Fili, Gloin, Bombur, Balin and Oin), and Bilbo were tied up in sacks nearby. William had on a dirty vest and had screwy eyes, Bert was the cook and was even wearing an apron and Tom was the third.

"Don't bother cooking them. Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly." William said.

"They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage." Bert said.

"Is this really necessary?" Dori asked.

"Ooh, that does sound quite nice." William said.

"Untie us, you monsters!" Oin shouted

"Take on someone your own size!" Gloin shouted. The dwarves on the spit and in the bags were all making noises and talking in fear.

"Never mind the seasoning; we ain't got all night! Dawn ain't far away, so let's get a move on. I don't fancy being turned to stone." Tom said. Bilbo heard what Tom said and had an idea.

"Wait! You are making a terrible mistake." Bilbo suddenly said.

"You can't reason with them, they're half-wits!" Dori shouted.

"Half-wits? What does that make us?" Bofur asked. Bilbo managed to stand up, although he was still tied up in a sack and faced the trolls.

"Uh, I meant with the, uh, with, uh, with the seasoning." Bilbo said.

"What about the seasoning?" Bert asked.

"Well have you smelt them? You're going to need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up." The dwarves yelled at Bilbo, calling him a traitor. The ones in sacks kicked him at.

"Uh, th-the secret to cooking dwarf is, um-" Bilbo said.

"Yes? Come on." Bert said.

"It's, uh-" Bilbo hesitated trying to think of something.

"Tell us the secret." Bert pressed.

"Ye-yes, I'm telling you, the secret is … to skin them first!" Bilbo said.

"Tom, get me the filleting knife." Bert said.

"If I get you, you little-" Gloin shouted.

"I won't forget that!" Dwalin shouted.

"What a load of rubbish! I've eaten plenty with their skins on. Scuff them, I say, boots and all." Tom said. Bilbo saw Gandalf slipping behind some trees nearby.

"`e's right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf! Nice and crunchy." William said. He picked up Bombur and held him above his open mouth. Bilbo opened his mouth to shout but something suddenly leaped from the trees with a ferocious growl. It bit into William's arm causing him to drop Bombur back into the pile of dwarves, who groaned from the impact, and howl in pain. Bilbo fell back, eyes wide and slack-jawed, in shock at the tiger attacking the trolls. "Get it off!" William cried. Bert and Tom moved to William's aid when the tiger let go of William's arm and turned to swipe its large claws at them. Tom fell back to avoid getting slashed but Bert's arm earned four gashes. He clutched his arm and fell back, knocking the spit back as he did so. The spit hit the ground and rolled away from the fire. Bert scrambled to get out of the fire as Tom was already up and trying to hit the tiger. It pounced on him, knocking him back down once more, before it leaped away landing in front of the dwarves and growled. Suddenly Gandalf appeared on top of a large rock above the clearing.

"The dawn will take you all!" He shouted before he struck the rock with his staff, splitting it in half, allowing the sunlight behind it to pour into the clearing. When the sunlight touched the trolls' skin, they began turning into stone amidst loud screams and howls of pain. Within seconds, there were three stone statues of trolls in the clearing. All the dwarves cheered for Gandalf. Of course, the dwarves on the spit on the ground still looked uncomfortable, especially those with their faces in the dirt.

"Oh, get your foot out of my back!" Dwalin shouted. Gandalf got down from the rock and walked over to the Dwarves in the sacks.

"Gandalf, look out!" Dori shouted as the tiger walked up to Gandalf.

"It is quiet alright, Dori." Gandalf said looking at the tiger. "She won't hurt us." The tiger emitted a low sound from its throat that sounded like a growl.

"Are you sure?" Kili asked as he stared at it. The tiger turned her bright yellow eyes to him sharply. He swallowed and felt a chill down his spin. The tiger stared at him a moment longer before she looked away, emitting another sound. Kili could've sworn the tiger was laughing at him. The tiger sat by the smothered fire as the dwarves Gandalf had freed from the sacks got the rest off of the spit. They all kept a watchful eye on the tiger as it observed them.

"Why is it just sitting there?" Gloin muttered. The tiger's eyes snapped to him.

"I think it understand us." Ori said quietly. The tiger's eyes went to him.

"Nonsense." Dori said. "It's simply… looking at whoever's talking." He said as he noticed the tiger's eyes locked on him. Gandalf chuckled.

"No need to frighten them, my dear." He said to her. "They will not harm you."

"Not unless it attacks us." Thorin said.

"Rude." Gandalf said. "How would you feel if someone called you an 'it'?"

"Well, is it a boy or a girl then?" Ori asked innocently. The tiger started to growl and Ori moved behind Dori and Nori.

"_She_ won't hurt you, Ori." Gandalf said. He turned back to the tiger. "I think that's enough now." His voice had a slight stern tone to it. The tiger stood and the dwarves tensed while Bilbo took a step back. "You should probably go behind a bush," Gandalf turned away from the tiger to gesture around. "I remember how-" When Gandalf turned back he sighed loudly. The rest of the Company stared wide-eyed at the very naked, very cat like, woman standing in front of them. Gandalf respectfully averted his eyes and looked disappointedly at the dwarves who couldn't take their eyes away.

"You see this too right?" Kili asked his brother with a small smile and a light tint of pink across his cheeks. Fili nodded.

"_This_… is Bellatrix the Red." Gandalf said. The woman smirked at the dwarves and wiggled her fingers in a wave.

"More orange than red." Nori said.

"Well who wants to be called Bellatrix the Orange… it definitely doesn't sound as deadly or …. _Sexy_." She purred making some of the dwarves swallow.

"I'm sure you can borrow a cloak or something –" She ignored Gandalf and walked forward, her nose twitching.

"Now, Gandalf, why are you traveling with a bunch of dwarves and a Halfling?" Bellatrix turned her eyes to him as she frowned.

"That is no concern of yours." Thorin said. Bellatrix snapped her head in his direction. She walked up to him, a smirk forming. She moved around him, while he remained still, her tail swishing as her hips swayed. She stopped behind him putting her hands on his shoulders, her lips by his ear.

"I just saved your lives." She whispered. "I believe I'm entitled to answers." Thorin snapped his head to look at her.

"You're entitled to nothing." He hissed. "No one asked you to step in."

"Should I have left you to the trolls?" She asked. "You're far too handsome to be eaten." She purred pressing herself against his back. She heard someone's breath hitch and turned her head to see Kili biting his lip. She removed herself from Thorin, making him look back at her, and walked up to Kili. "I definitely wouldn't want to see this one eaten." She said putting her finger at the base of his neck and using one finger to lift his chin slowly, gently scratching it with her nail. Kili struggled to swallow.

"_Bellatrix_." Gandalf said sternly. She rolled her eyes and held out her hand. Gandalf handed her a cloak and she put it on with a sigh.

"Happy?" She asked in a sickly sweet voice. Gandalf gave her a look then shook his head with a sigh. He looked to the dwarves.

"These trolls could not have moved in the daylight, look for a cave nearby. I'll join you shortly." He said. The dwarves all walked off. Gandalf looked to Bellatrix who was now sitting on a rock looking at her black nails – they weren't like normal nails, these were much tougher, they were the same type as her claws in her tiger form . "You've changed."

"That's what people do." She said.

"Where have you been?"

"Here." She said. Gandalf opened his mouth. "There." He closed it. "Anywhere really."

"You've learned control it."

"Not all skin-changers have… had the advantage of being a witch or wizard, Gandalf."

"There's still another." Gandalf said softly.

"Beorn, I know." Bellatrix said with a nod. "I haven't seen him since that day…" She looked down at the ground. "So what are you doing with such odd company?" Bellatrix asked as she looked up.

"I know I can trust you." Gandalf said but there was a slight question in his tone.

"Always have, always will." Bellatrix comfirmed with a nod. "I haven't changed that much, friend." Gandalf smiled.

"The dwarves seek to reclaim Erebor." Gandalf said.

"And the hobbit?"

"Bilbo is our burglar."

"_Burglar_?" Bellatrix asked incredulously, her eyebrows raised. She let out a humorless laugh. "From the looks of it that boy hasn't fought a day in his life, he's never been in any real danger, and you expect him to steal from a dragon? From _Smaug_?"

"I have confidence in him, that he will be able to help." Bellatrix chuckled and shook her head. There was a moment of silence.

"Room for one more in this company?" She asked with a grinned.

"That would be up to the company leader."

"As yes, Thorin Oakenshield." Bellatrix hopped of the rock she was on and started walking towards where the dwarves had gone. "I think I can _persuade_ him." Gandalf sighed.


	3. Chapter 2

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings that's all Peter Jackson and J.R.R. Tolkien. I do however own anything added and my OC. _**

* * *

Gandalf followed after Bellatrix knowing that she would locate the dwarves by scent.

"Gandal-! oh." Bofur blinked in surprise when the two walked into view. "We found a cave." He said pointing to it.

"Excellent." Gandalf said. He entered the cave first, Thorin behind him. Bellatrix remained outside. The cave was full of treasure the trolls had been hoarding.

"Oh, what's that stench?!" Nori asked.

"It's a troll hoard. Be careful what you touch." Gandalf said. As they entered the cave, many of the dwarves coughed and retched at the pungency. Inside, they found piles of gold coins and other treasure in caskets.

"Seems a shame just to leave it lyin' around. Anyone could take it." Bofur said.

"Agreed. Nori, get a shovel." Gloin said.

* * *

Thorin and Gandalf walked further in.

"What is she still doing here?" Thorin asked.

"I believe she could help us greatly." Gandalf said.

"How do you know we can trust her?"

"I've known that girl since she was a child. We can trust her…"

"Don't you mean kitten?" Bofur called with a small smile. Gandalf and Thorin looked at him unamused. Bofur shrugged and went back to digging. While exploring, Thorin found two swords covered in cobwebs. Gandalf approached him.

"These swords were not made by any troll." Thorin said. Thorin handed one sword to Gandalf and kept the other one.

"Nor were they made by any smith among men." Gandalf said. He drew the sword in his hand out of its sheath a few inches. "These were forged in Gondolin by the High Elves of the First Age." Realizing that they were Elven swords, Thorin started to put his away in disgust.

"You could not wish for a finer blade." Gandalf snapped. Reluctantly, Thorin held on to the sword. He drew it out of its sheath a few inches as well. Bofur, Nori and Gloin had filled a chest with treasure, then buried it in a hole in the ground. Dwalin looked on in disgust.

"We're makin' a long term deposit." Gloin said.

"Let's get out of this foul place. Come on, let's go. Bofur! Gloin! Nori!" Thorin said as he left the cave.

* * *

Thorin walked right up to Bellatrix who stood in front of Fili, twirling one of his mustache braids between her fingers and slowly sliding her hand up his arm as he smiled at her. Bellatrix' ear twitched as she heard Thorin's heavy footsteps approaching. She turned to face him.

"Yes?" She asked. She dragged the word out as she smiled revealing sharp fangs.

"If you wish to join this Company I need to know you will not betray us and understand that you'll be getting no reward."

"I think you'd be reward enough." Bellatrix said with a wink. Thorin kept a straight face and Bellatrix rolled her eyes. "You have my word." She said dropping her smile, becoming serious, and bowing her head slightly.

"Good." Thorin said. Suddenly Bellatrix' ears twitched and she looked up. "What is it?" She didn't answer but turned to look in another direction. Her nose twitched as she tried to identify a scent. "Something's coming!" Thorin shouted.

"Stay together! Hurry now. Arm yourselves." Gandalf said. Radagast the Brown rode at full speed through the forest on his rabbit-drawn sled. He pulled up short by the Company.

"Thieves! Fire! Murder!" He shouted. Bellatrix relaxed once she saw it was him.

"Radagast! Radagast the Brown. Ah. What on earth are you doing here?" Gandalf asked.

"I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something's wrong. Something's terribly wrong."

"Yes?" Radagast opened his mouth to speak, but shut it. He opened his mouth again, but closed it again. He had forgotten what he was going to say.

"Oh, just give me a minute. Um, oh, I had a thought, and now I've lost it. It was, it was right there, on the tip of my tongue." He curled up his tongue, and looked surprised. "Oh, it's not a thought at all; it's a silly old..." Gandalf pulled a stick insect out of Radagast's mouth. "-stick insect!" The dwarves and Bilbo looked flustered while Bellatrix chuckled.

"Ah Bellatrix!" Radagast said with a big smile when he saw her. She nodded at him in greeting before Radagast and Gandalf went off a few paces to speak privately.

"Why didn't you tell me who is was?" Thorin asked. Bellatrix frowned.

"I did not know it was him." She said. "We may live near the same forest but that doesn't mean I remember his scent after all these years. I knew it wasn't a threat, I knew the scent of the rabbits." She took a step towards Thorin. "You shouldn't jump to conclusions. I know the scent of orc, I know the scent of wargs and goblins if I had smelled one of them I would've-" A howl was heard in the distance.

"Was that a wolf? Are there-are there wolves out there?" Bilbo asked. Bellatrix' eyes widened and she sniffed. Without a word she quickly threw off her cloak and morphed into her tiger form before leaping at an already leaping warg. With a roar she knocked it from its course of attacking one of the dwarves. Thorin struck and killed it using his new sword. Another Warg attacked from the other side; Kili shot it with an arrow, bringing it down. However, it got back up, only to be killed by Dwalin.

"Warg-Scouts! Which means an Orc pack is not far behind." Thorin said.

"Orc pack?" Bilbo asked.

"Who did you tell about your quest, beyond your kin?" Gandalf asked Thorin.

"No one."

"Who did you tell?"

"No one, I swear. What in Durin's name is going on?"

"You are being hunted."

"We have to get out of here." Dwalin said.

"We can't! We have no ponies; they bolted." Ori shouted.

"I'll draw them off." Radagast said.

"These are Gundabad Wargs; they will outrun you." Gandalf said.

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits; I'd like to see them try." Radagast said with a smirk.

* * *

Yazneg, the orc leader of the Warg Riders, and his Wargs were searching through the forest for the Company; suddenly, Radagast and his rabbits shot out of the forest, and the Wargs started chasing him.

"Come and get me! Ha ha!" Radagast laughed. Gandalf watched from behind a rock as Radagast and the Wargs disappeared in the distance.

"Come on!" He shouted. The Company rushed across a rocky plain, Bellatrix remained in her tiger form running alongside them. In the distance, Radagast was being chased by the Wargs. One of them crashed while trying to catch him. The Company ran across the plain and saw the Wargs not too far from them so they hid behind the rocks.

As the Company ran, Radagast drove his sled beneath an overhanging projection of rock; he ducked, but the Orc on the Warg behind him got knocked off. As the chase continued, Thorin stopped behind a rock so that he was not seen by the Wargs. Ori stared to run out of the cover.

"Ori, no! Come back!" Thorin grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Come on! Quick!" Gandalf said. As the dwarves continued running, Thorin turned to Gandalf.

"Where are you leading us?" Thorin asked. Gandalf didn't answer. As the Warg scouts chased Radagast, one of them stopped and sniffed the air. The dwarves took cover behind an outcropping of rock. The scout and his Warg appeared on top of the outcropping, sniffing the air. Thorin looked at Kili and nodded; readying an arrow, Kili quickly stepped out and shot the Warg. The Warg and the orc on it fell near the dwarves. Bellatrix leaped at the wrag and ripped it's throat out while the dwarves killed the orc. The sounds of their fight carried quite far; the other Wargs and Orcs stopped chasing Radagast as they heard the roars and screams from behind the rocks. The Warg scouts howled as they stop pursuing Radagast and began pursuing the Company.

"Move! _Run!_" Gandalf shouted. As the company ran through a grassy plain Wargs began to surround them from all sides.

"There they are!" Gloin shouted.

"This way! Quickly!" Gandalf shouted. They ran for a while longer, and then halted in a clearing as they saw Wargs on all sides. The dwarves were quiet spread out.

"There's more coming!" Kili shouted.

"Kili! Shoot them!" Thorin shouted. Gandalf saw a large rock; he ran toward it and disappeared.

"We're surrounded!" Fili shouted. Kili began shooting at the Wargs and the Warg-riders, killing some of them.

"Where is Gandalf?" Thorin shouted.

"He has abandoned us!" Dwalin shouted. The dwarves gathered closer to each other near the rock Gandalf disappeared by. As Yazneg and his Warg approach, Ori shot a rock at Yazneg with his slingshot, to no effect. Bellatrix leap out in front of him and took the warg and its rider down before turning back to Ori who looked at her with wide eyes. She grabbing the back of his coat as gently as she could before bringing him closer to the others. Thorin pulled out his sword.

"Hold your ground!" Thorin shouted. Gandalf popped up from a crack in the rock.

"This way, you fools!" Gandalf shouted.

"Come on, move! Quickly, all of you! Go, go, go!" Thorin shouted.

As the Wargs approached, the dwarves and Bilbo slid into the large crack in the rock and into a cave. Thorin killed a Warg that got too close. Kili shot another as Bombur rolled into the cave.

"Nine, ten" Gandalf counted.

"Kili! Run!" Thorin shouted. Kili jumped in and Thorin turned back to see Bellatrix bounding over. Thorin jumped down and a moment later so did Bellatrix, morphing as she rolled down. She laid there a moment to catch her breath. Just as Yazneg and his Wargs reached the crack, an Elvish horn sounded, and a group of mounted Elves rushed into the fray, shooting and spearing the Wargs and Orcs. The Company listened to the conflict from inside the crack. One of the orcs, shot by an arrow, fell into the cave and Dwalin pulled Bellatrix up before it rolled onto her. Thorin plucked out the arrow out of the orc and examined its make. "Elves." He spat as he threw the arrow down. There was a pathway at the end of the cave, leading away.

"I cannot see where the pathway leads. Do we follow it or no?" Dwalin asked.

"Follow it, of course!" Bofur said wasting no time in following the others right behind him.

"I think that would be wise." Gandalf said. He looked at Bellatrix before quickly looking away with a sigh. "If someone would be so kind as to lead a cloak?"

* * *

Bellatrix looked rather peeved with the cloak she was now wearing as she followed the dwarves through the pathway. She wasn't used to wearing clothes, she never had a reason to; she was always in the woods and away from others. There was more freedom without clothes, be it in the form of movement or expression.

The pathway eventually opened out into an open area; there was a valley below, and in that valley was the city of Rivendell.

"The Valley of Imraldis. In the Common Tongue, it's known by another name." Gandalf said.

"Rivendell." Bilbo said.

"Here lies the last Homely House east of the sea." Gandalf said. Thorin turned to Gandalf.

"This was your plan all along, to seek refuge with our enemy." He said.

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself." Gandalf said.

"You think the Elves will give our quest their blessing? They will try to stop us." Thorin said.

"Of course they will. But we have questions that need to be answered. If we are to be successful, this will need to be handled with tact and respect and no small degree of charm. Which is why you will leave the talking to me." Bellatrix frowned and lifted the hood of her cloak over her head.

* * *

**How am I doing? ^_^ Working on next one now. I'll probably put it up tomorrow or before bed. **


	4. Chapter 3

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings that's all Peter Jackson and J.R.R. Tolkien. I do however own anything added and my OC. _**

**A/N: Warning you now, in the next chapter the rating of the story will change from T to M. (Though it probably already should be, lol.)  
**

* * *

The Company walked across a bridge and entered Rivendell. A few elves could be seen strolling about. Bilbo gazed in awe at the beauty of the place while the dwarves looked uneasy and Bellatrix' indifferent expression was hidden under her hood. A dark-haired elf walked down a flight of stairs and greeted them.

"Mithrandir." He said to Gandalf.

"Ah, Lindir!" Gandalf said. As Lindir and Gandalf greeted each other, the dwarves murmured amongst themselves in distrust.

"Stay sharp." Thorin whispered to Dwalin. Suddenly, the Elvish horns from earlier were heard again. The Company turned around and they saw a group of armed horsemen approaching along the bridge at a rapid rate.

"_Ifridî bekâr! _ _(Ready weapons!) _Close ranks!" Thorin said. The dwarves bunched up together into a tight circle with Bilbo in the middle and with their weapons pointed outward. Bellatrix rolled her eyes. The mounted Elves arrived and rode in circles around the dwarves. Eventually, they stopped, and one elf, Elrond, separated himself from the others.

"Gandalf." He greeted. Gandalf bowed gracefully.

"Lord Elrond. _Mellonnen! Mo evínedh_? _(My friend! Where have you been?)"_

_"Farannem 'lamhoth i udul o charad. Dagannem rim na Iant Vedui. _ _( We've been hunting a pack of Orcs that came up from the South. We slew a number near the Hidden Pass.)"_ He said. Elrond dismounted from his horse, then he and Gandalf hugged.

"Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders. Something, or someone, has drawn them near." Elrond said. He held up an Orc sword and then handed it to Lindir.

"Ah, that may have been us." Gandalf said. Thorin stepped forward, and Elrond looked upon him with recognition.

"Welcome Thorin, son of Thrain." He said.

"I do not believe we have met." Thorin said.

"You have your grandfather's bearing. I knew Thror when he ruled under the Mountain." Elrond said.

"Indeed; he made no mention of you." Thorin said. Ignoring this insult, Elrond turned to the dwarves and spoke in Elvish though they didn't understand him.

"_Nartho i noer, toltho i viruvor. Boe i annam vann a nethail vin. (_Light the fires, bring forth the wine. We must feed our guests.)" He said.

"What is he saying? Does he offer us insult?" Gloin asked. The dwarves grew bellicose and gripped their weapons uneasily.

"No, master Gloin, he's offering you food." Gandalf said exasperatedly. The dwarves quickly discussed this amongst themselves.

"Ah well, in that case, lead on." Gloin said. Elrond looked at Bellatrix who lifted her head slightly, enough for him to see who she was. He smiled and motioned for Lindir. Lindir nodded and as the dwarves followed Elrond Lindir went up to Bellatrix.

"If you would follow me, m'lady, I will show you where you'll be staying and provide you with clothes." Bellatrix nodded and followed him.

* * *

"Alright lads, there's only one thing for it." Bofur said standing up and getting on a small pedestal that was in the center of the courtyard. He started to sing. After the first line of the song he started stomping his feet and soon the other dwarves joined in, Bifur banging spoons. Thorin smiled.

_"There is an inn, a merry old inn  
beneath an old grey hill,  
And there they brew a beer so brown  
That the Man in the Moon himself came down  
one night to drink his fill."_

Someone threw a piece of food right between Gandalf and Elrond. Elrond gave Gandalf a look. The dwarves were throwing food over Bofur between the two tables.

_"The ostler has a tipsy cat  
that plays a five-stringed fiddle;  
And up and down he saws his bow  
Now squeaking high, now purring low,  
now sawing in the middle."_

Bofur started dancing and the elves looked around feeling a bit awkward. Thorin started stomping his foot in time with the others.

_"So the cat on the fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,  
a jig that would wake the dead:  
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,  
While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:  
'It's after three!' he said!"_

The dwarves all laughed and threw more food as Bofur bowed. Kili threw food and hit a statue that Lindir was standing next to. A feminine laugh pierced the air and the dwarves quieted down as the owner of the laugh clapped. Everyone looked over to see a woman standing at the top of the stairs. She had deep red hair that went down to her back and was wearing a long white gown. The dwarves stared at her as she walked past them to Gandalf and Elrond's table. She looked over and Kili winked at her. She tried to hold back a smile but couldn't. Elrond frowned at her.

"You shouldn't feel the need to hide who you are for the sake of appearances, Narurandir." Elrond said. The woman nodded and closed her eyes. The dwarves watched in awe as she changed into Bellatrix.

"That woman was her?" Bofur asked. Gandalf looked at the others.

"As a witch, Bellatrix _can_ perform small acts of magic such as that." He said. Elrond smiled at Bellatrix.

"Isn't that better?" He asked. She nodded with a smile.

"Much." She said though to be honest her tail felt extremely cramped. Elrond gestured to the empty chair and she sat down. Bellatrix looked back at the dwarves to see Kili blushing at her. She winked at him and he looked away, embarrassed.

* * *

After dinner, Bellatrix returned to the room provided for her and removed the gown. She then left the room and walked around outside until she found a large fountain that was getting just the right amount of sunlight for her to sunbathe.

It wasn't long after that the dwarves arrived, though they came to the fountain to bathe in the water than the sun. They did notice her there but that didn't stop them from stripping and jumping in. Fili and Kili climbed to the top to ride the water down as six of the dwarves had a 3-on-3 chicken fight. Balin relaxed off to the side as above him Bombur prepared to jump into the water. Outside the fountain Nori and Ori were still getting undressed. Bombur jumped into the fountain as Fili and Kili rode the water down and as the left team fell back into the water. Balin jumped away from the splash of the water as Nori twisted a towel and hit Ori's bottom and Fili and Kili popped up out of the water. The winning team – consisting of Bofur, Bifur and Dwalin – started cheering at their victory but stopped when they saw a very wet Bellatrix sitting in the water. Her eyes were wide and she was as stiff as a statue. Slowly, her head turned to look at them. The three that had fallen and created the splash that hit her looked terrified. She closed her eyes and visibly relaxed before she shook her head like a dog and sprayed them with water.

"Don't stop the fun on my account." She said as she stood up. Water hit her from above and she went rigid once more. She looked up to see Fili and Kili. They each pointed at the other. Bellatrix crouched before she jumped up to then crouch on the edge of the bowl of the fountain the two were in. She sat down with her legs in the water between them. Both of them jumped when her feet touched the outside of their legs under the water. As she began to slide her feet up their legs, Kili's began to shake and Fili smirked up at her. Suddenly Kili let out a gasp that went unheard because of the water and Fili swallowed hard. Suddenly Thorin walked into view and saw what was happening. He called Bellatrix down making her pout before she did.

"Leave them alone." He growled at her.

"They didn't seem to mind." Bellatrix said before looking back up at the two and winking. Kili's face was bright red and Fili's had a similar shade. "You're just jealous, aren't you?" Bellatrix asked as she looked back at Thorin. "All you had to do was say so." She said as she put her arms around his neck and pushed herself against him. He pushed her away with a glare. She laughed before walking away.

* * *

That night Bellatrix accompanied Gandalf, Thorin, Elrond, Balin and Bilbo up to read the moon runes, she'd put her gown back on of course. Afterwards she found the dwarves quarters and heard them all laughing at Bombur who'd broken a table. She laughed as well and they looked over.

"You boys don't mind if I join you, do you?" She asked tilting her head. "It was getting rather lonely by myself."

"Come on then lass." Dwalin said.

"There's plenty of room." Bofur said with a smile.

"Thank you." Bellatrix smiled as she walked over and sat down next to Dwalin. She reached over and touched his hands. "What do these mean?" She asked tracing the tattoos on them. He lifted his right hand.

"Baruk Khazâd." He raised his left. "Khazâd ai-mênu." Bellatrix smiled.

"Axes of the Dwarves. The Dwarves are upon you." She said. He looked at her a little shocked. "I can understand it, I can't read it." She explained. She reached up and traced the ones on his head. "And these?" She asked.

"A pictorial history of… what happened." He said. Bellatrix nodded and lowered her hand. She noticed all the dwarves had gone quiet.

"Didn't mean to kill the mood." She said apologetically. Balin shook his head.

"It's alright, lassie."

"So, where's Thorin?" Bellatrix asked. Just then he walked in. "Speak of the devil." Bellatrix smiled. He looked at her with a slight frown then turned to the others.

"Get some sleep, we're leaving early."

"Which one of you boys want to be my pillow?" Bellatrix asked with a smirk. Thorin turned to glare at her.

"Weren't you given a bed of your own?" He growled. Bellatrix' smile faltered for a brief moment before becoming strained. She stood up and nodded, leaving without a word since she didn't trust her voice at the moment.

"That was rather harsh, Uncle." Kili said with a frown. Thorin ignored him and got ready for bed. As Bellatrix went up the stairs she passed Bilbo. He frowned when he saw her hugging herself, a deep frown on her face.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly. She looked over in surprise, having not seen him. She cleared her throat.

"I'm quite alright, Mr. Baggins." She said. "Goodnight." Bilbo frowned in concern as she walked away.


	5. Chapter 4

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings that's all Peter Jackson and J.R.R. Tolkien. I do however own anything added and my OC. _**

**_Outfit on fanfiction blog, check my profile. _**

**I want to explain something before you continue: **

**Bellatrix isn't completely covered in fur. It's only on the sides of her face (like sideburns but not into a beard or near her chin) and around her tail like an inch or two above where it comes out at base of her back. All other hair on her body that you would normally have is a reddish orange but no more than you would have. **

**This story is now rated M and you'll see why. **

* * *

The company woke early the next morning. Bellatrix sat in the stair railing as they packed up their things and got ready. Most of them were shocked to find her fully clothed. She had on a long brownish-red skirt with a long-sleeved white top over it. On top of that were arm braces, a left shoulder brace and a corset like set of armor that included a belt with slots for daggers or other things. On her feet were matching boots. What surprised the dwarves the most was the fact that she had once again changed her appearance. This time she looked human but with long orange hair that went down mid thigh. When questioned why she had made herself into a human again her response was that it was uncomfortable to wear the clothes with her tail. Fili, who had finished packing up his things, walked up to her.

"You look rather nice fully clothed."

"But not as nice as when I'm not, right?" She asked with a wink. Fili chuckled.

"Why did you change the hair colour from before? When we saw you at dinner it was darker and shorter."

"This was what it was like when I was a child." She said. Fili frowned in confusion.

"I couldn't skin change the moment I was born you know. I mean yes I was actually born with cat ears and a tail but my hair used to be long like this and I didn't always have the rest of the fur." She explained. "Think of it like this: if I hadn't been a skin-changer this is what I would've looked like. When I reached a certain age the rest of the fur grew in and my mother cut my hair one day when it got tangled in a tree I'd been climbing." Fili chuckled. "I guess I had just gotten so used to it being short I kept it that way."

"I like your hair long like this." Fili reached out and took a lock of her hair between his fingers. "Have you ever thought of growing it out again?" Bellatrix shook her head. "You should." He said with a smile. Thorin walked up.

"Fili." He said sternly. Everyone else was already leaving the area. Fili nodded and followed after the others. Thorin looked at Bellatrix who avoided eye contact with him and followed the others as well.

* * *

The company hiked along the path away from Rivendell.

"Be on your guard; we're about to step over the edge of the Wild. Balin, you know these paths; lead on." Thorin said.

"Aye." Balin said. Bilbo turned around and looked back at Rivendell, longingly.

"Master Baggins, I suggest you keep up." Thorin said. Bellatrix put a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure you could come back one day." She said. He looked up at her. "It's such a beautiful place to live." She said as they started walking. Bilbo nodded.

"And peaceful." He added.

"Anything's peaceful compared to this lot." She muttered. Bilbo chuckled and she smiled warmly at him.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked. Bellatrix looked confused. "Last night you were-"

"I was fine then and I am fine now." She said with a smile, though it did not reach her eyes. "Do not worry about me, Mr. Baggins."

* * *

The company hiked through the wilderness of Middle-earth, over ranges, mountains, and plains. It was one morning after the company had camped out in a small cave that Bellatrix was acting strange. At first only a few of them noticed but by noon everyone had. She kept a distance from everyone, even Bilbo, and refused to look at anyone. Her arms were wrapped around herself as she walked and her knuckles were white while her face looked a bit flushed. Finally Oin spoke up.

"Are you feeling alright, lass?" He asked. She didn't look at him.

"I'm fine." She said quickly.

"Tell us, what's the matter?" Bofur asked.

"Nothing's the matter, nothing's wrong." She insisted.

"You have been acting strange since this morning." Balin said.

"You were fine yesterday." Dori said.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Ori asked with a small frown.

"You can tell us, you know." Bilbo said.

"I'm fine!" She shouted suddenly whirling around to face them. Everyone stopped walking. Her face was pink and her normally silver eyes had faded to yellow.

"You're obviously not." Fili said.

"What's wrong, Bellatrix?" Kili asked.

"We need to keep moving so let them help you so we can." Dwalin said crossing his arms. Bellatrix groaned and looked away before mumbling something.

"Speak up lass." Oin said. She closed her eyes and suddenly the dwarves realized she was embarrassed.

"You can tell us." Kili said.

"I can feel that by tomorrow I'll be in heat." She said. The dwarves stared at her.

"Heat?" Ori asked. Bellatrix sighed.

"Yes heat. To put it simply I'll want to jump any of you." She said.

"So what do you do about it?" Kili asked. She rolled her eyes.

"I either get away from you all for the next few days or I _do_ jump one of you." She said. Kili's face went pink.

"We'll I know we probably can't afford to lose you for the next few days so I volunteer-" Fili was cut off as Thorin walked up. Bellatrix avoided looking at him.

"Go then." He said. She looked at him. "Go ahead or fall behind as far as you need to be from us but no farther. Return when you can." She nodded.

"You guys think you could carry my clothes for me? I can get further away in my other form."

"I'll carry them for you." Fili said with a nod.

"Wait here for two minutes." She said before running behind a few trees. A moment later her bag was thrown out, now full of her clothes. "I'll be back in about three days." She called then the group saw her in her tiger form running ahead.

* * *

Two nights later the company had stopped to make camp.

"You think she's alright?" Bilbo asked.

"Who? Bellatrix?" Kili asked. "I'm sure she's fine. She's a tiger after all." He added with a chuckle. "I think she can take care of herself.

"I'm going to get some more kindling." Fili said before he walked into the woods.

Thorin frowned. Fili had been gone a long while. Thorin got up and headed into the woods in the direction his nephew had gone. It didn't take him long to find out what was keeping Fili or rather _who_. Fili had Bellatrix pinned to a tree and was kissing her neck as she panted heavily her face almost as red as her fur. His nephew was grinding his pelvis against hers with quiet grunts every so often.

"Fili!" Thorin snapped. Fili tore himself away from Bellatrix with wide eyes.

"Thorin." He swallowed. Bellatrix started whimpering as she leaned against the tree.

"Get back to camp, tell Nori you're on watch." Without a word Fili ran off.

"Why'd you have to go do that?" Bellatrix groaned. Thorin glared at her but his glare faltered when he saw the look on her face, in her eyes, the want... The need. "Jealous perhaps?" She purred as she started to walk over. "You could've volunteered the other night." She slipped her arms around his shoulders and licked up his neck slowly. He closed his eyes and pushed her away. When he opened them Bellatrix was in her human form. "If you'd prefer this..." The was a hint of hurt in her voice. Thorin slid his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, her hands were against his chest.

"Change back." He said in a low voice as he looked down at her face, keeping eye contact. He watched as she morphed back into her normal form. She looked up at him, lips parted, eyes searching his. "You look better this way." He whispered. Her eyes lit up ever so slightly and she gripped the front of his shirt. Her leg slipped between his and she lifted her knee to rub his crotch. He grit his teeth before lowering his lips to her neck. She let out a sigh as he kissed and nibbled up to her jaw. He saw her eyes had closed and her mouth was parted even widen. Taking advantage of that he slid his tongue in and Bellatrix immediately returned the kiss. Her fingers made quick work of his coat and shirt and soon they were in a pile on the ground. Thorin pulled her closer and moved his hand down her side until he reached her dripping wet core. The moment he touched her she let out a mewl and pressed her breasts tightly against him. He broke the kiss to resume kissing down her neck. He lowered her onto his pile of clothes as he rubbed a thick finger against her. Bellatrix let out a gasp as he pushed his finger in, curling it, as he kissed down past her collar bone to her breasts. His tongue swirled a hardened bud before he took it between his teeth gently. She started to squirm against his hand as his other slid up to cup her other breast, Thorin's fingers mimicking his tongues movement before he switched. Bellatrix's hands slid into his hair and tugged slightly.

"N-not fair you still have your trousers on." She whined. Thorin chuckled against her breast before removing both hands to take them off. Bellatrix whimpered in complaint.

"Make up your mind." Thorin whispered playfully. Bellatrix wrapped her legs around his waist and felt his arousal against her thigh.

"Please Thorin. I need you." Thorin leaned down to capture her lips and tongue as he pushed inside. He groaned into her mouth as she moaned into his. His hands moved to grip her hips as her arms went around his neck. He lifted her slightly so she was sitting in his lap, her legs around him, and he was using his legs to buck up into her, grunting every so often. Bellatrix panted into his mouth as she scratched her nails down Thorin's back making him hiss in pain and pleasure. Thorin broke their kiss again to move to her neck when she said his name, right in his ear. Something sparked in him and he moved faster and harder and made her cry out his name again, louder. It was such a euphoric sound from her sweet tasting lips, it sent pleasant shivers up and down his spine then straight to his groin. He thought he'd return the favor and groaned hers as he rolled his hips against her. He heard her breath hitch and her nails dug into his back. He would probably have more scars now but he didn't care. It was him, _his_ voice, that made her react in such a way and not Fili. Maybe he was jealous of his nephew after all.

Thorin knew she was close when she threw her head back, her mouth wide open as she panted loudly. He could feel himself growing close as well. Suddenly Bellatrix' head moved forward and her teeth latched onto Thorin's left shoulder, sinking in deep. He let out a cry as it sent him over the edge. Bellatrix mouth remained in place as they rode out their orgasms. She let go and pulled back, blood stained her lips and she stared down at Thorin as he looked up at her while rocking his hips a few more times. He gently laid her down on the ground and she swallowed and whimpered as he pulled out before he rolled off to the side. Her head turned to look at him, her eyes locked onto the bite.

"Sorry." She whispered. He turned his head to look at her. "For biting you." She clarified. He nodded, his chest still rising and falling rapidly. She rolled over and moved closer to him before she put her head to his chest to listen to his heartbeat. She rested one hand on his chest. One of his hands stroked the back of her head gently.

"Feel better now?" He asked quietly. She nodded against him. "Will you be able to return the company now?" She nodded again.

"Give me half a day more so no one realizes what happened." Thorin nodded. Bellatrix frowned and started to sit up. "You should probably get back to camp." She whispered with her eyes down. Thorin stood up and grabbed his pants. As he pulled them on he saw Bellatrix remained seated on the ground, her eyes locked onto the dirt and her tail had wrapped around herself, as had her arms. He watched as she hugged herself tightly and didn't notice that he hadn't moved for the rest of his clothes. He sat back down and pulled her to him as he let himself fall back. Bellatrix gasped and looked up at him. He closed his eyes, his arm secure around her waist. His other arm pulled his coat over them.

"Go to sleep." He whispered. Bellatrix stared at him a long while before putting her head against his chest and snuggling against him with a smile on her face.

* * *

When Bellatrix woke the next morning she was alone. She wasn't surprised; last night was just a one night thing. He wasn't going to be there when she woke up. She knew that. Even so she felt a pang in her chest that she tried to ignore. This wasn't going to change things between her and Thorin. He was just helping her. It meant nothing to him. It meant nothing to her either... Right?

* * *

**I know I know we're only four chapters in (5 if you could the pro which I don't) and there's already been a sex scene. Here's the thing. I needed this to happen before the Goblin scenes cause there's no stopping from there to Beorn's house.**


	6. Chapter 5

**_Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings that's all Peter Jackson and J.R.R. Tolkien. I do however own anything added and my OC. _**

**It's been a long while since I updated this so here ya go ^_^**

**Thank you to everyone who reviews ^_^**

* * *

When Thorin returned early in the morning, before the sun had even begun to rise, Fili was awake. He didn't say anything to his uncle, just one look and he could guess what had happened. He had no doubts when Bellatrix returned later on that same day. He gave her back her clothes and she got dressed behind a bush. The dwarves found it a bit odd that she hid to change but dismissed it. Maybe it was because she was in her human body. They didn't think on it long but the question was still floating around Thorin's head as the day went on. He noticed that she avoided him more than before she'd left and wouldn't even look at him or anywhere in his direction.

Soon the Company was on a mountain side in a storm. Bellatrix was miserable and wet. She hated when it rained hard like it was since it affected her ability to smell and the thunder hurt her ears, though luckily for her when she was in human form her sense of smell and hearing were that of normal humans so it didn't affect her that badly. After a frightful experience with getting caught on a stone giant during a thunder-battle, as Balin put it, the Company found a cave to rest in for the night. Bofur took the first watch and soon everyone was asleep but him, Bilbo, Thorin and Bellatrix. Thorin noticed how she was the furthest away from him she could possibly be. He could see her shivering and had the urge to go over and wrap his arms around her. He shook the thought from his head. Bilbo quietly packed up his things and went to leave. Thorin and Bellatrix listened as Bofur tried to stop him.

"You're homesick; I understand." Bofur said.

"No, you don't, you don't understand! None of you do - you're dwarves. You used to - to this life, to living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere." Bofur looked offended, and Bilbo was repentant. "I am sorry, I didn't..."

"No, you're right." Bofur looked back at the others. "We don't belong anywhere. I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do." Bofur smiled and placed his hand on Bilbo's shoulder; Bilbo soon turned and began to walk away. "What's that?" Bofur asked.

"Hm?" Something was glowing; Bilbo pulled his sword partway out of its sheath and saw that it was growing bright blue, meaning Orcs were nearby. Thorin and Bellatrix raised their heads as they heard strange machinery noises and saw cracks form in the sand on the floor of the cave.

"Wake up. Wake up!" Thorin shouted.

"Everyone get up!" Bellatrix shouted. Before anyone could react, the floor of the cave collapsed downwards; the floor was really a giant trap door. The entire Company fell down a chute, slid through a tunnel yelling and screaming the whole way, and landed in a giant wooden half cage. As they struggled to get up, a horde of goblins attacked them. The goblins took away their weapons, and dragged them all away. As the company was lead away kicking and yelling, Bilbo somehow was missed by the goblins; not seeing him they left him behind. Nori looked over his shoulder and saw Bilbo ducking on the ground.

Bilbo scampered behind some railing to hide as he watched the goblins proceed through the tunnels. Bats flew in the darkness. Bilbo drew his sword, which was glowing bright blue, and slowly followed the goblins. Suddenly, one goblin jumped out in front of him and rushed at him with his sword. After a brief fight in which Bilbo barely managed to keep himself alive, the goblin and Bilbo both fell over the edge of a platform and fall through the darkness.

The goblins were grabbing and pinching at Bellatrix and her clothes as she tried to push them off. Thorin grabbed her arm and pulled her to him while pushing off goblins.

The goblin horde brought the Company through a vast network of tunnels and wooden bridges to the throne room and platform of the Great Goblin. The Great Goblin was a massive Goblin sitting on a throne, holding a mace topped with a skull. He was far larger than any other goblin, and was incredibly ugly, with warts all over his swinging chin. As they got closer music started.

"I hear a song, coming on!" The Great Goblin said started to sing and dance around as the Company was pushed towards him.

_"__Snip snap, the black crack_

_Grip, grab, pinch, and nab_

_Batter and beat_

_Milk 'em, stammer and squeak!_

_Pound pound, far underground_

_Down, down, down in Goblin Town_

_With a swish and smack_

_And a whip and a crack_

_Everybody talks when they're on my rack_

_Pound pound, far underground_

_Down, down, down in Goblin Town_

_Hammer and torch, get out your knockers and gongs_

_You wont last long on the end of my prong_

_Clish, clash, crush and smash_

_Bang, break, shiver and shake_

_You can yell and yelp_

_But there aint no help_

_Pound pound, far underground_

_Down, down, down in Goblin Town!" __The Great Goblin spun around a few times before returning to his thrown, stepping on a pile of goblins. _

_"__Catchy isn't it? It's one of my own compositions." The Great Goblin said. _

_"__It's not a song." Balin said. "It's an abomination!" He shouted. _

_"__Abomination, mutations, deviations, that's all you're gunna find down here." The Great Goblin said__. _The dwarves', Tony's and Lucy's weapons were piled together. The Great Goblin jumped off his throne, trampling several goblins, and approached the Company.

"Who would be so bold as to come armed into my kingdom? Spies? Thieves? Assassins?"

"Dwarves, Your Malevolence." One of the goblins, Grinnah, said. "A woman."

"Dwarves? A woman?"

"We found them on the front porch."

"Well, don't just stand there; search them! Every crack, every crevice." The Great Goblin commanded. The dwarves pushed Bellatrix in the middle as the goblins tried to grab at her and pull at her clothes. The goblins searched the dwarves thoroughly, throwing away whatever they found. Oin's hearing trumpet was thrown on the floor and crushed underfoot. One of the goblins found Nori's bag and dumped out everything he'd taken from Rivendell.

"And it is my belief, your great protuberance, that they are in league with elves!" He handed the Great Goblin a candelabra. The Great Goblin turned it over.

"Made in Rivendell." He read. "Bah – Second Age, couldn't give it away!" He exclaimed, and tossed it aside. Nori had a guilty expression on his face as Dori turned to look at him.

"Just a couple of keepsakes." Nori explained.

"What are you doing in these parts." The Great Goblin asked.

"Don't worry, lads – I'll handle this", Oin offered stepping forward before Thorin could.

"No tricks!" The Great Goblin said. "I want the truth! Warts and all!"

"You're going to have to speak up." Oin said. "Your boys have flattened my trumpet."

"I'll flatten more than your trumpet!" The Great Goblin roared, and walked toward Oin.

"If it's more information you're wanting, I'm the one you should speak to!" Bofur offered moving forward. His braids defied gravity as they curled upwards without his hat. The Great Goblin paused. "We were on the road…well, it's not so much a road as a path…actually, it's not even that, come to think of it, it's more like a track. Anyway, the point is we were on this road, like a path, like a track, and then we weren't! Which is a problem, because we were supposed to be in Dunland last Tuesday." Dori moved forward.

"Visiting distant relations." He added.

"Some inbreds on me mother's side." Bofur said.

"Shut up!" The Great Goblin shouted. He was silent for a second then smirked. "Bring the woman forward." The Great Goblin commanded. The dwarves protested and tried to push Bellatrix into the center of them but the goblins managed to bring her forward anyways. "A human?" The Great Goblin frowned. Bellatrix pulled her arms out of the goblin's grips and stood with her head held high. The Great Goblin laughed then narrowed his eyes at Bellatrix. She kept eye contact with him and resisted the urge to growl. "What's your business with these dwarves?" The Great Goblin spat. Bellatrix remained silent. The Great Goblin scowled. "Fine, if they will not talk, we'll make them squawk! Bring out the Mangler! Bring out the Bone Breaker! Start with the woman!" The Great Goblin pointed at Bellatrix. The dwarves all tensed as four goblins forced Bellatrix to her knees.

"Wait!" Thorin said stepping forward.

"Well, well, well, look who it is. Thorin son of Thrain, son of Thror; King under the Mountain." The Great Goblin bowed exaggeratedly to Thorin. "Oh, but I'm forgetting, you don't have a mountain. And you're not a king. Which makes you nobody, really. I know someone who would pay a pretty price for your head. Just the head, nothing attached. Perhaps you know of whom I speak, an old enemy of yours. A Pale Orc astride a White Warg." Thorin looked up in surprise and disbelief.

"Azog the Defiler was destroyed. He was slain in battle long ago."

"So you think his defiling days are done, do you?" The Great Goblin laughed, then turned to a tiny goblin sitting in a basket and holding a slate. "Send word to the Pale Orc; tell him I have found his prize." The tiny goblin wrote down the message on his slate; cackling, he then pulled a lever, causing his basket to start sliding down a system of ropes and pulleys into the darkness.

Dozens of goblins carried massive instruments of torture on their shoulders, bringing them to the Great Goblin. Meanwhile, the Great Goblin was dancing and singing lustily.

"Bones will be shattered, necks will be wrung! You'll be beaten and battered; from racks you'll be hung. You will lie down here and never be found, down in the deep of Goblin-town." Grinnah was examining the weapons the dwarves brought with them. He picked up Thorin's sword, Orcrist, and slid it a few inches out of its sheath. Recognizing the sword, he gasped in horror and threw down the sword. It landed in view of all the goblins. Recognizing it, the goblins howled in fear and rage as they retreated from it; the Great Goblin ran rapidly to his throne, trampling many goblins on his way. He spoke loudly, pointing at the sword. "I know that sword! It is the Goblin-Cleaver, the Biter, the blade that sliced a thousand necks." As he spoke, Grinnah and the rest of the Goblins began whipping the dwarves with ropes and leaping upon them, biting and slashing. "Slash them! Beat them! Kill them! Kill them all! Cut off his head!" Goblins held Thorin down, and one of them pulled out his knife and prepared to behead Thorin.

Suddenly, there was a massive explosion of bright light; a shockwave rips through the area, flinging goblins in the air and destroying the torturing machines. Everyone was knocked down, including the Great Goblin. When the force of the explosion had passed, most of the lights in the area had been snuffed out; in the background, a shadow with a tall pointy hat walked up. It was Gandalf, holding his staff and his sword, Glamdring. Light slowly returned to the area as the goblins and the dwarves slowly look uped, recovering from the shock. They all stared at Gandalf.

"Take up arms. Fight. Fight!" Gandalf shouted. The dwarves quickly got up and begin fighting the goblins. Bellatrix held out her arm and a sword appeared from within a black and red flame. The blade also black and red, the blade jagged and curved. As goblins ran at Gandalf, he killed them with his sword and staff. The Great Goblin, still lying on the ground, saw Gandalf's sword and pointed at it, crying aloud to his goblins.

"He wields the Foe-Hammer, the Beater, bright as daylight!" Some of the dwarves reached their pile of weapons and began tossing the weapons to each other; they used their weapons to defeat the goblins around them.

* * *

The dwarves, Gandalf and Bellatrix fought their way through 'goblin town' until they were stopped by the Great Goblin.

"You thought you could escape me?" The Great Goblin asked. The Great Goblin swung his mace twice at Gandalf, causing Gandalf to stumble back and almost fall. The Dwarves caught him and pushed him back up. "What are you going to do now, wizard?" Gandalf leaped forward and struck the Great Goblin in the eye with his staff. The Great Goblin dropped his mace and clutched his face in pain. "Ow, ow, ow!" Gandalf stepped forward and sliced the Great Goblin in the belly; the Great Goblin fell to his knees, clutching his belly. "That'll do it." Gandalf swung his sword again and sliced the Great Goblin's neck, causing him to fall down dead.

His weight caused the bridge to start shaking; suddenly, the section of the bridge on which the company was standing broke away from the rest of the bridge and started sliding down the side of the cavern. The bridge slid at a terrific speed down the cavern's wall, demolishing everything in its way; the Company held on, screaming in terror. Thorin grabbed Bellatrix around the waist with one arm and held onto the bridge with the other. It slowed down and landed at the base of the cavern, breaking apart and burying the Company in the timber and wood. Gandalf got up from the pile of wreckage and inspected the rest of the Company who were still stuck in the wreckage.

"Well, that could have been worse." Bofur said. Suddenly, the heavy corpse of the Great Goblin landed on the wreckage, squishing the dwarves further. They cried out in pain.

"You've got to be joking!" Dwalin shouted. As the dwarves extricated themselves from the rubble, Kili looked up and saw thousands of goblins running at them.

"Gandalf!" He screamed. "There's too many! We can't fight them." Dwalin shouted.

"Only one thing will save us: daylight! Come on! Here, on your feet!" Gandalf shouted. Everyone got up quickly, helping each other out of the rubble, and they ran away, following Gandalf.

* * *

Gandalf paused to count how many dwarves were with him. The dwarves paused to collect their breath.

"Five, six, seven, eight...Bifur, Bofur...that's ten...Fili, Kili...that's twelve...and Bombur - that makes thirteen. Bellatrix… Where's Bilbo? Where is our Hobbit? Where is our hobbit?!"

"Curse the halfling! Now he's lost?!" Dwalin shouted.

"I thought he was with Dori!" Gloin said.

"Don't blame me!" Dori shouted.

"Well, where did you last see him?"Gandalf asked.

"I think I saw him slip away, when they first collared us." Nori said.

"What happened exactly? Tell me!" Gandalf shouted.

"I'll tell you what happened." Thorin said. "Master Baggins saw his chance and he took it! He's thought of nothing but his soft bed and his warm hearth since first he stepped out of his door! We will not be seeing our Hobbit again. He is long gone."

"He wouldn't do that!" Bellatrix snapped, finally looking at Thorin.

"No, he wouldn't." Bilbo said suddenly coming out from behind a tree. The dwarves looked up in shock and relief. Gandalf laughed as he spoke.

"Bilbo Baggins! I've never been so glad to see anyone in my life!" Bilbo strode forward into the group; he patted Balin affectionately on the shoulder.

"Bilbo, we'd given you up!" Kili said.

"How on earth did you get past the Goblins?!" Fili asked.

"How, indeed." Dwalin said. There was an awkward silence as Bilbo tried to think what to say. In the end, he gave a nervous laugh and put his hands on his hips. Gandalf was the only one to notice Bilbo sliding the Ring into his waistcoat pocket. Gandalf looked a bit perturbed.

"Well, what does it matter? He's back!" He said.

"It matters! I want to know: why _did_ you come back?" Thorin asked.

"Look, I know you doubt me, I know you always have. And you're right, I often think of Bag End. I miss my books. And my armchair. And my garden. See, that's where I belong. That's home. And that's why I came back, cause you don't have one. A home. It was taken from you. But I will help you take it back if I can." After Bilbo spoke, there was silence as the dwarves thought about what Bilbo said. Gandalf smiled slightly, happy that Bilbo had changed so much - for the better. Suddenly everyone heard the howling of wargs and the Company members realized they were in danger.

"Out of the frying pan..." Thorin said.

"...and into the fire! Run! RUN!" Gandalf shouted.


End file.
